Dear Tom
by Roselize
Summary: First year Ginny finds a friend like no other when she discovers Riddle's old diary. A friend who manipulates her. A friend who controls her. A friend who slowly consumes her soul... The exact diary entries between Tom and Ginny. Set during CoS. Cannon.


**Disclaimer: I own the rights to Harry Potter. In my dreams. But since I am currently awake, EVERYTHING belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Authors note: Phew... Finally this chapter is ready to be read. Special thanks to Kaillinne Arami, my awesome editor. Please, please Review... Accio Reviews!  
**

It had to be dream, she was absolutely sure of it. A very believable dream, yet a dream nonetheless, just like the rest of them. But this dream was reality. Had to be because her subconscious mind could never have created this room; with the golden hues of the curtain matching those on the bed covers and the pillows, while what seemed like every tone of red had been added one way of another into the dormitory. Her brothers had always tried to describe the castle in one way or another, and of coarse some things they said had been precise while Ginny knew that the rest had just been exaggeration. Allowing a delighted squeak to escape her mouth she dashed toward the only window that gave her a perfect view of the lake, which was illuminated by the dim light of what seemed like thousands of floating candles. The scene was one of the most breathtaking things she had seen in her life, not counting the Great Hall.

With a content sigh she abandoned the window and made her way to the closest four-poster bed, finding her trunk beside it. Acting on an impulse she jumped on the soft looking covers and began bouncing and giggling from pure joy of finally being at the place she most wanted to be in.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..

Specifically, in the first year girl's Gryffindor dormitory.

On her new bed, in her new dormitory, in her new school. She was sure that if her parents hadn't showed her how to control accidental magic she would be floating high in the air by now.

Ginny looked around the room once more, trying to engrave every single detail in her mind. There were six beds and beside each one stood a wooden three drawer nightstand with a gilded lamp on top. The floor was made out of stone but was covered by a thick carpet with an intricate and colorful pattern. The warm colors made her feel right at home. She congratulated herself for coming up to the dormitories while the rest of the new girls where still in the common room.

Smiling she leaped off the bed, headed toward her trunk and began taking second hand clothes and books out to examine them as she had done countless times at home. She had just pulled out 'A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration' when a much smaller book, a journal, slipped out of its pages and fell with a soft flop on her bed. Ginny picked it up, surprised, and carefully studied it. The book had a shaggy black cover and a year written in silver letters dating it 50 years back. Curiosity getting the best of her she opened it to give its contents a shy peek only to have blank pages staring back at her. Not really sure what she had been expecting she closed the journal and left it by the rest of her books, going back to the task of organizing her trunk. Once it was completely empty she began adding the thicker sets of clothes, which she knew wouldn't be needed until at least November. The rest of her clothes went next, arranged in a way she hoped would be easy to grab when necessary without upsetting the order of rest of the trunk too much. After that she put in her books though she wasn't really sure in which order she should place them, not knowing her timetable yet.

Grabbing all her bottles of ink and ink eraser, parchment and quills she steered her way to the nightstand with the intention of putting them all away in the first drawer but stopped in her tracks when she saw the black journal next to the lamp. 'Didn't I leave it on the bed?' Ginny wondered to herself while placing the items in her arm carefully in the open drawer. 'Did it just get there by itself?' but she quickly dismissed the idea knowing she had been moving things from her trunk out and in for a while. 'Must have misplaced it.' Extending her arm to put the black book away she froze. 'Maybe I could keep a journal! I'll write everything that happens to be while I'm here at Hogwarts. It'll be a good memory.'

Grabbing the journal, an ink bottle and a quill she sat down, propping herself against the pillows to get as comfortable as possible. Opening it on the first page Ginny wrote the date, 1st of September, wincing at the inkblot she had created where the quill had been pressed too hard between the last e and r.. Frowning, the red head leaned over to the nightstand, opening the drawer yet again to retrieve a bottle full of transparent ink eraser. Quickly unscrewing the lid she was about to use it when, to her surprise, Ginny noticed the words had vanished from the book! As if it had fallen right through the paper. Turning a few pages she confirmed that the rest were still as blank as they had been at the beginning. Nothing, not even the inkblot. Confused she took the quill once more and began writing again.

'**Hello'** she scribbled onto the yellowish paper, this time actually seeing the word beginning to fade and then completely disappear. 'What a strange book' She thought. Then, to her surprise, words she hadn't written began to appear on the parchment.

'_Hello, my name is __Tom Riddle. What's yours?_' For a moment all Ginny could do was stare awestruck at the journal's perfect handwriting, but a few seconds later the words disappeared again. Dipping her quill in the ink pot she answered.

"**My name is ****Ginny Weasley. Who are you ?' **

The reply came almost at once. '_I am a friend, so please call me Tom._' When the sentence vanished another one took it's place almost immediately. '_How old are you Ginny?_'

'**Eleven'** She replied in her messy scrawl trying to match the speed Tom was responding her with.

'_So this must be your first day at Hogwarts, correct?_' Ginny froze. 'How did he…? Of course! The date! Silly me.' Remembering she herself had given him the date earlier.

'**Yes, I just came back from the banquet. I'm so exited! I can't believe I'm finally here!**' She jotted down trying to calm herself. The discovery of the magic journal had almost made her forget.

'_Into which house did you get sorted?'_ Tom asked.

'**Gryffindor**.' Was her answer. '**That's the house I've always wanted to be in; all of my brothers were, or still are, in Gryffindor. Fred and George say it's the only house worth being in.'** She watched as the words faded and a new sentence materialized in it's place.

'_Ah, Gryffindor. Yes, it is a rather good house to be in._' Had Ginny paid more attention she would have caught the sarcasm evident between the lines. Alas, the detail escaped her notice.

'**Do you go to Hogwarts too Tom?'** She inquired.

'_I used to.'_ Just when she was going to ask more questions she heard the distinct sound of steps on the stone stairs that led to the first year's dormitory. Knowing that the other girls were on their way to bed she got up while still writing.

'**Sorry Tom, the rest of my roommates are coming. I'll talk to you more tomorrow.**' Ginny was able to scribble while she made her way toward her trunk.

'_See you tomorrow then!'_

'**Bye Tom.'** Ginny closed the journal and hid it under her schoolbooks before the door was opened and five chattering girls entered the dorm. The redhead gave them all a friendly wave and got into bed, noticing for the first time just how tired she was. Images of blue cars and the Hogwarts Express filled her mind as she tried to remember everything that had happened to her today, since the moment she woke up until then. The lake, the boats, the sorting, the feast. But her last thoughts were for Tom. Ginny thought she rather liked having a diary.

Yes. She liked it a lot.


End file.
